2021 Returns

by Em on July 17, 2024 in Camera, Photography • 0 Comments

Might post just photos going forward. Been thinking about getting back into photography and I miss having so many pictures to browse through. Here are some old photos from 2021 that I haven’t shared.

When Twilight Breaks // Book Review

by Em on February 21, 2021 in Books, my opinion • 0 Comments

When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin

? ? ? – –

three out of five hearts

Genre keywords: historical fiction, light romance novel, WW2

GoodReads Summary:

Munich, 1938. Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent as determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession as she is to expose the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. To do so, she must walk a thin line. If she offends the government, she could be expelled from the country–or worse. If she fails to truthfully report on major stories, she’ll never be able to give a voice to the oppressed–and wake up the folks back home. In another part of the city, American graduate student Peter Lang is working on his PhD in German. Disillusioned with the chaos in the world due to the Great Depression, he is impressed with the prosperity and order of German society. But when the brutality of the regime hits close, he discovers a far better way to use his contacts within the Nazi party–to feed information to the shrewd reporter he can’t get off his mind. This electric standalone novel from fan-favorite Sarah Sundin puts you right at the intersection of pulse-pounding suspense and heart-stopping romance.

My Thoughts:

I found When Twilight Breaks to be a pleasant light read, loosely about the start of WW2 in Germany and centering around a journalist and a teacher. I find myself particularly aware of the hurt and sensitive topics that can come from books centered around WW2, so I was pleased to find this book realistic yet still balanced in developing plot and storyline without delving too far into the terror that can be linked to stories about WW2. This book had frequent dialogue and was overall a quick read with its quickly moving plot.

Pros: Excellent historical fiction, this book stays true to the time period without feeling like a textbook. This is a sweet light-hearted read and involves characters with upstanding morals. If you enjoy historical fiction and a light romance, this is an excellent book with a great balance between the two. Despite a heavier setting, Sundin writes a more uplifting plot with plenty of action.

Cons: The only areas I found to not align with what I expected of this novel had to do with character development. I sometimes felt like Evelyn changed her mind within two pages or with only a tiny bit of conversation with Peter. I completely understand that as a personality trait, but it broke up the plot a bit at times and made her a slightly more difficult character to relate to. Additionally, certain events or circumstances/memories dealt with sadder or more difficult subject matter and Evelyn and Peter both responded very lightly or were able to resolve things very quickly. This matches with the book generally being a lighter story and glancing over serious issues, but it can leave the reader feeling a little disconnected at times.

I received a free copy of When Twilight Breaks from Revell in exchange for a 100% honest review.

Network of Deceit // Book Review

by Em on February 14, 2021 in Books, my opinion • 0 Comments

Network of Deceit by Tom Threadgill

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

five out of five hearts

Genre keywords: crime, murder mystery, light thriller

GoodReads Summary:

Amara Alvarez’s first case as a homicide detective drags her into the murky world of computer hackers. When she finds herself under attack by cybercriminals, she has no choice but to use unconventional methods to expose the truth and find a killer.

My Thoughts:

This is the second book, however the reader does not need to have read the first to understand this story – I hadn’t read the first book. First impressions with this book were not anything particularly note-worthy, while I didn’t dislike the cover, I wasn’t immediately intrigued or informed of anything by the cover/title/first chapter being printed on the same the page opposite the copyright information. Of course, I mention this just because first impressions and physical appearance of books is a key factor for me when I just browse in the library, so I find it worth reviewing. 😉 However, within the first several chapters, I knew I’d read the book within just a few days. Network of Deceit is a surprisingly pleasant wearer-of-many-hats book! I found it to contain witty humor between main character detectives Amara and Starsky, to have more serious and personal topics with Amara’s family, but to all the while maintain a lively murder mystery that was excellently executed. I found it very gripping to read as I wanted to know the next intricate details of the murder case, but also to ease a tension that I have with books – I knew I never needed to worry that the book would descend into any explicit content or gruesome language. I think Threadgill has found an excellent way of writing in the crime genre, not bringing readers down into terrible crimes of the world, but not sacrificing on the quality, action, and suspense of a good mystery.

Pros: Everything. Read it. If you enjoy crime novels, this is light in violence but maintains the behind the scenes work of detectives and gathering evidence. If you don’t usually read crime novels, this is a great book for trying out the genre as there is suspense and a quick plot with a safety net of humor and subplots beyond Amara’s case.

Cons: I wish the title or book cover had been more telling. However, in terms of the actual story, I was caught off guard by how much I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next book!

I received a free copy of Network of Deceit from Revell in exchange for a 100% honest review.